Connecting Older New Yorkers Through Skills Training, AI

Online classes for older adults are increasingly helping the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) not only raise digital skill levels—but more efficiently implement other technology to serve clients, including artificial intelligence. NYSOFA has been instrumental in several major state initiatives to help seniors be more connected. The agency began its first tech-focused project in 2018, and now has 21 public-private partnerships with technology companies, Greg Olsen, NYSOFA acting director, said. Because the agency works closely with those it serves, Olsen said its existing relationships and digital literacy enable a more seamless implementation of unfamiliar technology tools—and ultimately, these implementations can build on the agency’s work to bridge the digital divide.  NYSOFA is not trying to replace human beings with technology, Olsen said, but rather, to use technology to enhance the work that is already being done, to better serve residents.